Platelets
Overview
Platelets, also known as thrombocytes, are very small cellular components of blood that are made in the bone marrow and survive in the circulatory system for an average of nine to 10 days. Considered a vital element of blood, platelets aid blood clotting by sticking to the lining of blood vessels, preventing possible day-to-day leakage as well as massive blood loss often associated with trauma. Platelets are used to treat a condition called thrombocytopenia as well as for patients undergoing treatment for leukemia, cancer, aplastic anemia, and marrow transplants. Platelets can be collected either from donated whole blood or by plateletpheresis. When collecting platelets from whole blood, the unit is centrifuged once to separate the platelet-rich plasma and then a second time to concentrate the platelets further. Plateletpheresis involves drawing blood from the donor into an apheresis instrument, which, using centrifugation, separates the blood into its components, retains the platelets, and returns the remainder of the blood to the donor. The resulting component contains about six times as many platelets as a unit obtained from whole blood. Platelets can be stored for only five days, unless the establishment is using an FDA-approved protocol that allows for seven-day storage.
AABB works on behalf of the transfusion medicine and cellular therapy community to ensure the safe and effective collection, processing and use of platelets. AABB works directly with federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to ensure appropriate guidance, regulations and reimbursement for platelets.
Recent Actions
01/29/08
Gambro BCT and Fenwall announce the suspension of the PASSPORT study as a “precautionary measure” because both interim data and published studies estimate that bacterially contaminated platelets may escape detection by culture at 24 hours and, therefore, may pose a transfusion risk.